My heart goes out to our pupils

SCHOOL exams have been cancelled in Scotland for the first time in history.

Since 1888, nervous teenagers have waited for their grades, not knowing how they performed on exam day.

Even two world wars could not stop the tests, so it is a mark of how serious this pandemic is that the Government has – correctly – issued a halt to proceedings.

I feel sorry for pupils, who will now be judged on a combination of their previous work, teacher assessment and preliminary exam results.

My prelims were a kick up the backside to knuckle down for the exams proper, and I’d have been sunk if I’d relied on the mock exams to get me into university.